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She only has $70,000 in savings which will be spent down quickly. Then will apply for Medicaid. in TN besides only allowing the $2,000 in assets, the monthly income limit is about $2,300 to be eligible for Medicaid. She receives 1,200/month in SS. I want to apply for VA assistance which she is eligible. But if she gets it it will take her over the $2,300 monthly income limit. Does anyone have experience with how VA and Medicaid work together. 🙏 thank you!

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Medicaid covers the cost towards NH and AL care if Medicaid is excepted by those entities. With SS and pension helping to offset those costs. As I posted before, unless a Vet the most OPs mother can get with A & A is $951 plus her SS which totals $2151. This will not cover her cost in an AL let alone in a NH.

Aide and Attendance is only for those who served during Wartime. Not sure of any Vet program that will cover ALs/NH cost for a spouse of a Vet. I was asked why I was not considering a Vet home for Mom, because the closest one was 45 min or more away. So I never looked into the cost and what Mom would be responsible for plus there are waiting lists.

First thing you need to do is find out if your State Medicaid will pay for AL care. In my state, you have to pay privately for at least 2yrs before Medicaid will pay and the AL has not reached their Medicaid limit of residents. Not all ALs except Medicaid.

If you haven't spoken to a VA rep yet, I would do it. Then you will have a better idea of what Mom is entitled to. You should have a County office.

Please come back and tell us what you find out.
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As said, you can't have both. At 70k it may last a year. If Mom is a Vet she will get more Aide and Attendance than if not.

"The maximum benefit amount for a veteran with a spouse is $21,337 / year ($1,778 / month). The maximum benefit amount for a surviving spouse is $11,420 / year ($951 / month).Jan 4, 2021"

This is not gotten overnight. You must have the discharge papers and other info. If she goes on Medicaid, she can't have both. Medicaid will be the higher of the two. She will be able to receive the $90 a month for Personal Needs. But be careful, it needs to be spent because it counts as part of the 2k she is allowed in assets.

I applied for Mom who had about 50k for her AL care. Her SS and pension amounted to 20k a year. Her application was turned down and I never understood why. Something about 13k. I never pursued it because I had applied for Medicaid. Mom got $50 a month towards her Personal needs account that never got spent in the 5 months she was in the NH. So I didn't need an extra $90 I had to worry about spending down.
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Kashi
I looked up your location and I think you are near Knoxville. There are some certified elder attorneys there. Please visit one, the sooner the better to help guide you toward the right decisions for your mom. Back in 2008 my in-laws appeared to be headed to a NH. They had a nice savings but when I met with the attorney and discussed Vet benefits, they were leaning towards planning for Medicaid instead just in case they lived through their savings. Like I mentioned that was in 2008. There have been changes since then and according to one of the Tennessee CELA websites I looked at, it’s a challenge to be declared at need medically for the NH in Tennessee and it looks like there is a waiver program for ALF. Most states don’t have that and if they do it’s very limited. A visit to an attorney who is well versed in the laws of your moms state is so worth it for the peace of mind that you are making the right decisions.
In my in-laws case, one died the month after I met with the attorney and the other died a month later. My husband and I had been thrust into the primary caregiver role unexpectedly and we were not prepared to make any decision without expert advise. Good luck and let us know what you decide. We learn from one another.
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As I understand it, a client cannot receive both Medicaid and VA.

Do you have a local VA affiliate you can talk to? Or the local Area Agency on Agency might be able to anwer this question
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Isthisrealyreal Aug 2021
I believe that you get a small personal needs allowance from VA if you get both. So Medicaid and like 90.00 from VA.

Yeah, no double dipping from federal funds.
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If VA assistance takes her over the Medicaid limit, then she is disqualified from getting Medicaid.

I would get a needs assessment and figure out what assistance will cover her needs best, now and in future.
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Kashi60 Aug 2021
As I understand it, the VA benefit will stop once person goes on Medicaid. Can’t get both. I am looking for someone’s experience with this .
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